June 2021 Parenta Magazine

Violence against women: the role of the early
years in preventing gender stereotypes - part 2
‘Gender equality is a human fight, not a female fight.’ - Frieda Pinto
Last month we looked at violence and how a collaborative effort in the early years can transform
stereotypical attitudes and behaviour in boys, and help reduce violence against women and girls.
This month we look at how we can best support girls to become women of purpose and resolve.
A girl’s identity is informed by her
genes, temperament, parents, home
environment, friends, and the world
around her. Early years providers have the
opportunity to help girls become robust
and confident individuals in their early
years, impacting resilience for life.
Social roles and norms are formed
early and stick around for life unless
challenged. ‘Boys will be boys,’ ‘Girls are
sissies.’ Girls are often seen as ‘bossy’
or ‘interfering’ when displaying their
confidence or assertion. Boys, on the other
hand, are more likely to be praised for
being assertive. What a contradiction!
In a recent meeting with several early
years, primary and secondary teachers,
the conversation turned towards girls’
Age in
months
Outcome
12 She laughs and interacts with people she loves
18
She engages with her parent/carer in her daily
routine
24 She enjoys showing some independence
30
36
She is confident enough to deliberately seek and
keep an adult’s attention
She has the confidence to state her own preferences
and interests, even if different from others
42 She enjoys carrying out small acts of responsibility
48
54
60
She shows confidence by talking freely to familiar/
unfamiliar girls or boys when playing
She has the confidence to independently choose an
activity and then gather and use all the materials
needed
She has the confidence to talk positively about herself
and others
60+
She shows confidence in speaking out, trying out
new activities, asking for help, and sharing ideas
confidence throughout school. It was every
teacher’s experience that girls speak up
less and ‘let the boys do the talking.’ In
short, boys dominated. Even in a gender
equality lesson, it was observed that the
boys answered the questions or debated
the point. The girls were silent. Why
were girls less likely to speak out? The
teachers’ collaborative view was that girls’
confidence gradually weakened as the
girls got older, with a pronounced dip in
secondary school.
Building skills that counter
violence
Young girls need to know that that they
can thrive not only irrespective of, but
because of their gender.
Not yet
reached
Nearly
reached
Reached
Providers need to ensure that girls have a
keen awareness that they are true equals
in every aspect of their development.
This begins with the skill of confidence.
Confidence grows with support and
flourishes when encouraged. It is vital that
we start this process right at the start of a
child’s life.
Gauge the confidence levels of every girl in
your setting. This is a crucial starting point,
as the self-reliance that accompanies
a strong sense of self is key to creating
women who feel empowered.
Start the process by completing
the confidence outcomes below for
each girl. (1)
Suggested support
Provide daily one-to-one interactions, filled
with warmth and laughter
Have a predictable and deeply enjoyable
daily routine
Always be warmly and lovingly responsive to
her social and emotional cues
Continue building a special and warm
relationship
Always be alert to her facial and postural
cues by interpreting and labelling them
Provide plenty of genuinely enjoyable
opportunities for her to help with
Encourage enjoyable and exciting
collaboration with some highly appealing
group activities
Provide highly appealing activities and
events that follow her keen interests
Create a responsive environment, full of
praise and encouragement, always following
her effortful attempts with positive feedback
Create plenty of opportunities for group
activities where she can enjoy collaborative
work with others
How did they do? Have you noticed a
pattern? If each girl’s confidence levels
are strong, keep doing what you are
doing. If there are gaps, then follow the
activities, and then re-assess the girls
after a few weeks.
Choice and voice
Empowerment is the expansion of choice
and the strengthening of voice through
the transformation of power relations, so
women and girls have more control over
their lives and futures. (Eerdewijk et al
2017)
Girls’ habits and practices around choice
and voice are key to their identity. For girls
to be truly empowered, we need to ask
ourselves the following questions:
Does the provision:
• Support girls in making choices and
having control over their actions?
• Empower girls to act and realise
aspirations right from the start,
regardless of social norms, so that
they have achievable hopes and
desires?
• Encourage girls to express
themselves?
• Encourage girls to negotiate?
A new social norm
Social norms are subtle, insidious, and
potentially toxic. They are the breeding
ground for shaping rules about behaviour
and habits that may well be harmful
to both boys and girls. They potentially
devalue the potential of girls across
many areas of learning, particularly later
on in school, where girls may perceive
themselves as not ‘smart’ enough for
science or maths choices.
We need to embrace a mindset where
we are keenly sensitive to all gender and
social norms, ensuring that they never
impact the learning of girls or the future
potential of women. Awareness must
be planted deep within the framework
of what is taught and shared with our
youngest citizens.
Attitudes around girls or women being
weak, or in need of protection, or striving
harder to get ahead are myths based on
the social and gender norms that have
shaped our society for centuries. Such
stereotypical assumptions based on
‘shared’ traits should have no place in our
education system.
Helen Garnett
Helen Garnett is a mother of 4, and
a committed and experienced early
years consultant. She has a wealth
of experience in teaching, both in
the primary and early years sectors.
She co-founded a pre-school in 2005
where she developed a keen interest
in early intervention, leading her into
international work for the early years
sector. Helen cares passionately
about young children and connection.
As a result, she wrote her first book,
“Developing Empathy in the Early Years:
a guide for practitioners” for which she
won the Professional Books category
at the 2018 Nursery World Awards,
and “Building a Resilient Early Years
Workforce”, published by Early Years
Alliance in June 2019. She also writes
articles for early years magazines, such
as Nursery World, Early Years Teacher
Organisation, QA Education, Teach Early
Years, and Early Years Educator.
Helen is the co-founder and Education
Director at Arc Pathway, an early years
platform for teachers and parents.
Helen can be contacted via LinkedIn.
Everyone is different. Everyone is diverse.
Everyone is an individual. Our shared
traits are to be celebrated, not conformed
to. This is our new social norm!
References
1. Arc Pathway
28 June 2021 | parenta.com
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